I have to first admit that I love Netflix. The ability to watch your favorite TV shows or movies at anytime without any distraction is great. But it can also get addictive if one doesn’t maintain self control. For instance, I watched 9 seasons of “How I met your mother” during Thanksgiving and Christmas break last year. Which roughly translates to 225 episodes in about 45 days. It initially started because I was alone while my husband was out of town and then it continued even after he returned.

I felt pathetic about it later and as a self correcting action, I didn’t touch Netflix for the next 10 days. But of course, that wasn’t the end of it. Time and again I would start binge watching again, until I realized, it was getting dangerous for my lifestyle. I was practically just sitting while binge watching, though sometimes I used to multi-task; for example do some office work (which took me twice as much time to complete).

So here’s what I did to remediate:

1. Spring – I would like to blame winter and extended rains this year for my behavior but once Spring was here and days were getting longer, I didn’t want to give that as an excuse. I decided to put an end to it.

2. Duolingo – I usually start watching Netflix when I return from home, since I am tired and want to clear my head. So instead of watching Netflix, I started practicing Spanish using the app Duolingo. I completed 34 levels in 2 weeks.

3. Watch only while you eat – My hands are occupied while eating, so I made the rule that I would watch Netflix only when I eat and that too for less than 45 min.

4. Reading – I made a reading list and based on my speed I decided to set a goal of 1 book a month.

5. Walk the dog more often – Winters also meant less walking time since it gets darker quickly. Now that Spring was here, I decided to go on long walks with my dog.

Honestly, all of the above items were already part of my lifestyle except that I ignored them when I start binge watching. It took me some soul searching and guilt shaming myself to get back on track. I hope this serves as an inspiration to all of you to spend your time doing things that improve your life.